Tommy Thompson Featured on "Area of Design.com"

During the entire month of March 2008, an interview with painter, Tommy Thompson, will be live on Area of Design.com. Just scroll down to the section, "In the Spotlight" to see the questions and answers of the interview. Eight of Thompson's paintings are shown on the web magazine this month. They include: "Cold Ride," "Emerald Lake," "Grazing with a View," "Horses of the Tetons," "Lake Louise," "Morning at Foggy Bottom," "Sunday at Grandpa's," "December Light."

Area of Design is an organization that showcases established and emerging artists, designers, commercial firms, and non profit groups based in the United States.
Their mission is to provide a forum for artists to express themselves and inspire others by encouraging, educating, and nurturing creative talent.

Thompson's interview contains much helpful information for aspiring painters. Be sure to check it out at http://www.areaofdesign.com

"Art at the Gardens: Exhibition by Tommy Thompson"

Springtime usually brings blooming flowers to gardens, but in March and April the Birmingham Botanical Gardens (BBG) will also be "blooming" with beautiful oil originals by plein air painter, Tommy Thompson. "Art at the Gardens: An Exhibition by Tommy Thompson" promises to be the highlight of the art gallery of the BBG for 2 months during March 1 through April 26, 2008. Glistening new oil originals of peaceful, pastoral landscapes depicting various scenese across America, garden scenes, seascapes, mountain scapes, horses--these are just a few of the "feast for the eye" artwork that await all lovers of fine art at the Birmingham facility.

Some of Thompson's paintings that are now on display at the Gardens include "Horses of the Tetons," "Jackson Hole Road," "Jack Warner's Garden," "Leisure Morning," "Emerald Lake," "Priscilla's Geraniums," "Sidewalk Cafe," "Birmingham Botanical Gardens," "Cold Ride," "Aldridge Gardens," and "Morning at the Cove."

The Gardens are located at 2612 Lane Park Road, Birmingham, AL. Admission and parking are free. The hours of operation are as follows: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Twenty percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Gardens; therefore, that portion would be tax deductible to purchasers of the art. For more information regarding Thompson and his work, check out his web site at http://www.tommythompsonart.com

Horses of the Tetons

One of Tommy Thompson's favorite places to paint is Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in the Tetons. He found these beautiful horses in Jackson Hole. After photographing the horses, Thompson combined the digital photo of an awe-inspiring landscape from High School Butte in Jackson, WY and the horse photo to create an image from which to paint this studio piece, which he named "Horses of the Tetons."

Maine-ly Grazing

One of Tommy Thompson's favorite places to visit and paint is North Haven Island, Maine. His painting, "Maine-ly Grazing" was inspired by a trip to the island. Incorporating horses into his paintings is another favorite thing to do. The oil painter enjoys plein air painting with his friend, George Walker, on their visits to this island that has preserved its simple way of life. North Haven is a year-round island community and summer colony located in Penobscot Bay, Maine.

In Training

"In Training" is another Tommy Thompson landscape in oil that includes one of his favorite subjects, horses. the artist found this particular landscape is located in southern Tennessee. Because Thompson grew up on a farm in Mississippi, the artist has always had a fondness for farm animals, especially horses. As a young boy, he had a favorite horse, which he named "Liz." He spent many hours of his childhood riding through the woods and pastures of his family farm.

Grazing with a View

"Grazing with a View" depicts a scene that Tommy Thompson found on North Haven Island, Maine. The talented artist combined digital photos of landscapes and those of horses. Drawing from the inspiration of the late renowned wildlife painter, Lanford Monroe, and the revered painter, Richard Schmid, Thompson has learned to create pleasing compositions using more than one digital photograph.

Thompson and his painter friend George Walker draw much inspiration from the pristine landscapes found on the lovely North Haven Island off the coast of Maine. They have spent many hours over the past few years locating new venues for their plein air painting excursions.

Sunday at Grandpa's

Tommy Thompson painted "Sunday at Grandpa's" depicting an interesting landscape and old barn that he found near historic Lynnville, Tennessee, in Giles County. The artist creatively used digital photographs of the scene and other photos of horses to arrange an imaginative composition for his painting. Old Lynnville, TN, was on the old stagecoach pike that connected Nashville, TN, and Decatur, AL. Prior to the Civil War, Old Lynnville was a flourishing little town. However, much of the town was burned and destroyed during the Civil War. In 1860, the Central-Southern Railroad was completed just one mile east of Old Lynnville. The old town began to move to the railroad and a new town was begun. On February 14, 1907, the new Lynnville was incorporated. Today, Lynnville is regarded as one of the most historical areas in Giles County and serves as the backdrop for many music videos produced by the music industry of the nearby Country Music Capital, Nashville. Today a railroad museum, depot, antique steam locomotive, coach, flat car, and caboose add historic charm to the town.

Thompson's painting, "Sunday at Grandpa's" is now in a private collection in Birmingham, Alabama.

Cold Ride

Tommy Thompson painted "Cold Ride" after visiting George and Beverly Greenup's farm near Pulaski, Tennessee, for a New Year's Day party, following a trail ride by a group of horse enthusiasts. At the party the artist met Arnold and Lisa Warmels, who live on a farm in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee. After taking several photographs of Arnold and his horse, Thompson was inspired to paint this oil on canvas, measuring 20" by 24". The landscape that the artist incorporated in his painting has elements of the trees and foreground that is behind the barn on the Greenup farm. Thompson included the imaginary distant landscape to add depth to the composition.

Arnold Warmels, a native of the Netherlands, is a horse trainer and clinician operating his business, Fryslan Valley Sport Horses, at his farm in Leiper's Fork, TN. Warmels' brand of horse training is dubbed "Riding Light" or "Horsemanship for Life." Although the European trainer grew up as a student of dressage in his homeland, his wide expertise cuts across several disciplines and includes experience with a variety of horse breeds that he has worked with since his arrival in the United States. To learn more about Arnold and his special training style, visit http://www.fryslanvalley.com.

Trail Ride, Anyone?

We recently were treated to an unusual experience in Pulaski, Tennessee. Our good friends, George and Beverly Greenup, invited us to their farm near Pulaski on New Year's Day. A large group of "horse lovers" gather at their farm each year for a trail ride followed by a bountiful feast of every kind of gourmet morsel you can imagine. I was particularly interested because of my love of horses, and this gave me an excellent opportunity to photograph the horses and the riders for future paintings. This proved to be a very special experience for Marie and me. Because my painting has been submitted for a juried exhibition, I cannot show the painting yet. As soon as possible I will be displaying the painting on my web site and my blog.

Arabian Beauties

We recently made a new friend who breeds and raises beautiful, high-quality award-winning Arabian horses. Our new friend is Lisa Littrell of Hartselle, Alabama. To see more of Lisa's amazing beauties, go to the ANSA Arabian web site. We plan to make many more visits to Lisa's Arabian horse farm in the future to paint scenes "en plein air" and to make many more photos. It is amazing how many great new friends we have made since we entered the world of plein air painting. A whole new world of interesting places and people have been afforded us.

Tommy's Granddaughter Enters the Painting Arena

Tommy Thompson's two daughters, Michelle and Melanie, have long been interested in art, but now his 11-year-old granddaughter, Sarah, is showing a strong interest in painting. Her first watercolor still life, "A Study in Fruit" is being offered here on a first-come, first-serve basis for $75.00. If anyone wishes to purchase this original watercolor by a budding artist before she becomes too expensive to afford, please email Tommy at tmt11@comcast.net.

Homefields: The Art of Lanford Monroe by R.E.C. (Chip) Thompson

Our very special long-time friend, Chip Thompson, recently published a book, Homefields: The Art of Lanford Monroe, about the life and art of his late wife, Lanford Monroe. For more information about Lanford and her work, you may read her artist biography at the web site of the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Lanford Monroe never had any doubt as to what she would do in life - create great paintings. And that's precisely what she did until she died suddenly, unexpectedly, of a heart attack on July 4, 2000. She was only 50.

This large-format book written by R. E. C. (Chip) Thompson, her loving and admiring husband, includes more than 130 paintings by this immensely talented woman who was destined to become one of the nation's greatest artists. The book displays her riveting portrayals of wildlife, her enchanting images of horses and foxhunting, her breathtaking landscapes of rural America and its most famous wilderness areas.

The author was born and reared in Athens, Alabama but has traveled extensively in the United States and abroad. He started writing, drawing, and making music from an early age. He met Lanford Monroe in 1989 and was her husband until her death in 2000. He writes, records, and performs his own music and sings, plays the guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, and drums with several bands. He currently makes his home in northern New Mexico in a 250-year-old adobe house. He is currently working on a new recording and a novel. The author is show here at a book signing at the Huntsville Museum of Art.

To order a signed copy of the book, Homefields: The Art of Lanford Monroe, call Rick Smith at The Brodsky Bookshop in Taos at 505.758.9468. Signed copies of the book are available at $60.00 each.

Christmas Gifts--Original Oil Paintings

If you are like most of our contacts, you are still doing your Christmas shopping. We urge you to check out Tommy Thompson Art for ideas for original oil paintings to purchase as Christmas gifts. Just a few ideas for you to consider: Backyard Neighbor, Purple Cottage, Anne's Favorite Place, Oakland House, and the list goes on and on.

Painting with Friends in Tuscaloosa

We met some wonderful artists and made good memories during the November Alabama Plein Air Painters' Paint-Out at Jack Warner's Garden. With the hospitality of the Warners, Amy Echols, and Becky Booker, we were treated to an unforgettable experience. Pictured here are Tana Thomas and Marie and Tommy Thompson.

Visiting Our Friend Jack Again

Over the past few years, we have enjoyed visiting with Jack Warner on our trips to the Westervelt-Warner Museum of American Art. In November 2007 we were privileged to again visit this veritable icon of American art collecting. Jack has amassed an almost unbelievable collection of American art at his museum in Tuscaloosa. He gladly shares his prized possessions with visitors from all over the world.

Painting Jack Warner's Garden

Meeting with other members of the Alabama Plein Air Painters, we painted Jack Warner's Garden in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on November 9 and 10. Jack has developed a one-of-a-kind flower garden at his home in the North River section of the city. At the age of 90, Jack still scales his hillside garden several times a day as he conducts personal tours of his "work in progress," which contains numerous plants, gazebos, arches, and other interesting structures. Jack entertains his guests with stories about how he erected dead trees in concrete to symbolize the mortality of man. As Jack says,"We will all be gone, but they will still be here." For paintings from Jack's garden see Tommy Thompson Art. For other paintings depicting historic Tuscaloosa, please see Tommy Thompson's Tuscaloosa Art Blog.

Demonstration for the Mountain Brook Art Association

On October 25, 2007, we presented an art talk/oil painting demonstration during the monthly meeting of the Mountain Brook Art Association at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. This was a very enjoyable experience for us. Afterwards, the President of the Association, Gayle Hurley, sent us this message: "You both were so dear to come and give such a wonderful program. I spoke to several people later that day and that evening who commented on how enjoyable it was. Marie, you were a great addition with the information on marketing, etc. I would highly recommend you to other groups like ours for an entertaining and informative program."

Who's on First

While we were at Lake Louise, Canada, attending Kevin Macpherson's "En Plein Air Masters Chateau des Arts Mentoring Session" we met the painting Groessers from North Carolina and Nebraska. One night during the session, John and his brother Don entertained everyone with their version of "Who's on First?"--the famous baseball comedy act, made famous by Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. We enjoyed getting to know all of the Groessers and hope to one day paint with them again.

Painting Friends in Rhode Island

It is always fun to visit with our good friends, Mimi Sammis and George Walker. Our latest visit was no exception; since we all love art, we enjoyed painting together and discussing our favorite subject. While in Newport, we had lunch with some of Mimi's friends who were visiting from Jacksonville, Florida.

Painting October Scenes in Narragansett and Newport, RI

Our latest trip to the Northeast was, as usual, a very pleasant experience. We enjoyed spending time with painting friends, Mimi Sammis and George Walker. While Tommy painted in Newport, RI, Marie toured the Trinity Church, the oldest Episcopal church in Rhode Island. The congregation was founded in 1698; the present church was built in 1726. Some of the people who have worshipped there include George Washington, Queen Elizabeth II, and many others.